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| Loaded firearm discovered in carry-on bag at AUS. |
Artfully Concealed Prohibited Items – It's important to examine your bags prior to traveling to ensure you are not carrying prohibited items. If a prohibited item is discovered in your bag or on your body, you could be cited and possibly arrested by local law enforcement. Here are a few examples from this week where prohibited items were found by our officers in strange places.
- A double edged belt buckle knife was discovered at Kansas City (MCI).
- A kitchen knife was discovered in the lining of a carry-on bag at Houston Intercontinental (IAH).
- A belt buckle knife was discovered at Los Angeles (LAX).
- A cane sword and nunchucks (with an attached blade) were discovered in a carry-on bag at LasVegas (LAS).
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| (L-R) Cane Sword and Nunchucks (LAS), Belt Buckle Knives (LAX - MCI) |
- An Airsoft grenade was discovered in a carry-on bag at Phoenix (PHX).
- An inert replica grenade was discovered in carry-on bag at Pittsburgh (PIT).
- A black novelty bomb was detected in a carry-on bag at Milwaukee (MKE).
- A live stun grenade was discovered in checked baggage at Evansville (EVV).
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| (L-R) Live Stun Grenade (EVV), F Bomb (MKE), Replica Grenade (PIT) |
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| Trench Knife (MSP), Batarangs (ORD), 3 Throwing Knives (RIC), Throwing Knife (SLC), Cat Eyes (PBI), Knuckle Duster Knife (LAS), Dagger (DTW) |
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| (L-R) Airsoft guns discovered at LAS & SMF |
Airsoft Guns – Three airsoft guns were discovered this week in carry-on bags. Two were discovered at Las Vegas (LAS), and one was discovered at Sacramento (SMF). Airsoft guns are prohibited in carry-on bags, but allowed in checked baggage. Airsoft grenades are not permitted in checked or carry-on bags. Read this post for more information: TSA Travel Tips Tuesday: Traveling with Airsoft Guns
Ammunition – When packed properly, ammunition can be transported in your checked baggage, but it is never permissible to pack ammo in your carry-on bag.
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| (L-R) Ammunition discovered in carry-on bags at IAH & MDW |
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| Clockwise from top left: Firearms discovered at HOU, LAN, BTR, AUS, PWM, PHX, ATL |
*In order to provide a timely weekly update, this data is compiled from a preliminary report. The year-end numbers will vary slightly from what is reported in the weekly updates. However, any monthly, midyear or end-of-year numbers TSA provides on this blog or elsewhere will be actual numbers and not estimates.
You can travel with your firearms in checked baggage, but they must first be declared to the airline. You can go here for more details on how to properly travel with your firearms. Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality. Travelers should familiarize themselves with state and local firearm laws for each point of travel prior to departure.
Unfortunately these sorts of occurrences are all too frequent which is why we talk about these finds. Sure, it's great to share the things that our officers are finding, but at the same time, each time we find a dangerous item, the line is slowed down and a passenger that likely had no ill intent ends up with a citation or in some cases is even arrested. The passenger can face a penalty as high as $7,500. This is a friendly reminder to please leave these items at home. Just because we find a prohibited item on an individual does not mean they had bad intentions, that's for the law enforcement officer to decide. In many cases, people simply forgot they had these items.
If you haven't seen it yet, make sure you check out our TSA Blog Year in Review for 2013 . You can also check out 2011 & 2012 as well.
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